1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices used to assist in carrying articles and more particularly to a hand-held article carrier.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,904; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 317,703; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 351,769, that have been designed to assist individuals in carrying articles such as mattresses, drywall or sheetrock, plywood and other large articles that are awkward to carry and move due to their large size, and lack of a suitable handle or hand-hold.
Unfortunately, none of these devices allow the cradle portion of the carrier to be adjustable to accommodate multiple articles or different thicknesses of articles while at the same time allowing for multiple hand-hold positions to accommodate different carrying heights. For example, mattresses may vary in thickness from six inches to twelve inches. Currently available mattress carriers such as the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,904 do not allow the cradle portion of the mattress carrier to be adjustable to receive different mattress thicknesses. If the width of the mattress carrier is made to accommodate a twelve inch thick mattress, and the mattress to be carried is only six inches thick, then the mattress will tend to move or slide within the carrier cradle which may cause the individuals carrying the mattress to lose their balance or to inadvertently drop the mattress. Additionally, if two or more individuals are carrying the mattress or some other article, it is desirable that the mattress or article be carried substantially level. If these individuals are of different height or arm length, the end of the mattress or article carried by the taller individual will be higher than the end of the article carried by the shorter individual, and again the mattress or article will tend to slide or move within the carrier cradle. To overcome this tendency to slide or move, the shorter individual must attempt to raise his end higher by lifting the carrier upward or the taller individual must lean down. This is difficult to do and may cause muscle strain in the arms or backs of the movers, especially if the article is heavy. It is much more desirable, safer and easier for movers to be able to carry articles with their arms fully extended. Therefore, in order to accommodate differing heights and arm lengths of movers it is desirable to have a carrier with multiple hand hold positions. The carrier disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 349,437 apparently attempts to resolve this problem by allowing the handle of the carrier to be selectively raised or lowered through the use of an adjustable handle extension member. Unfortunately, such a design does not readily allow the mover to change hand-hold positions while the article is being moved. Additionally, the device requires the user to thread and unthread wingnuts onto multiple bolts extending through apertures spaced along the length of two slidably engaging members. Such an adjustment is time consuming and there is the potential that the article may be scratched or torn by the nuts or bolts
Therefore, those concerned with these and other problems recognize the need for an improved article carrier.